USD receives grant to raise climate-change awareness

The University of San Diego will use nearly $1 million in grant money to educate San Diego County residents about climate change and its impact on people's health, water quality and the environment.

The grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation, will fund a two-year project that evaluates opinions about global warming. The longterm goal is to create policies that address the issues.

A group of scientists and policymakers will "develop a regional climate change communication program that promotes education, awareness, innovation and action," said Dr. Michel Boudrias, the grant's lead scientist and associate professor in the University of San Diego's marine science and environmental studies department.

His team includes researchers from marine science and environmental studies departments at his school, along with experts from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, part of the University of California San Diego in La Jolla.

Other team members include policy experts at the Energy Policy Initiative Center at University of San Diego, social and behavioral psychologists from California State University San Marcos and community planners from the San Diego Foundation.

Boudrais also plans to work with a broad spectrum of community leaders from across the region, including elected officials, developers, faith leaders and the Latino community.

The University of San Diego was among 15 recipients of a Climate Change Education Partnership grant from the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that promotes scientific advances. Learn more at the agency's website here.